Vallejo Times-Herald - Dignitaries tour Vallejo transit projects

Two major public transit-related projects are well underway in Vallejo, and a bus tour Monday of the sites appears to have duly dazzled the dignitaries who came along.

"Incredibly impressive," U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) said. "It's hard to believe it's going to be done in so short a time. (The behind-the-scenes operation) is a very important part of the public transit process and the public rarely knows anything about it. I want to see it when it's finished."

The dignitaries, including Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis, Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, Suisun City Mayor Pete Sanchez, SolTrans board members and others, wearing yellow dayglow vests, safety goggles and hard hats, boarded an all-electric bus for a tour of the Curtola Park & Ride Hub and the Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility on Broadway.

The bus is a demonstration model on loan from the BYD Auto Co., and one of several viable bus options, officials said.

First stop was the $14.5 million, four-phase Park & Ride Hub at Curtola Parkway and Lemon Street, the first phase of which is scheduled for completion by September, SolTrans Executive Director Mona Babauta said.

It's part of a regional strategy for mitigating Bay Area traffic congestion.

Phase one involves building a new transit terminal, a safety and customer service center and improved amenities. The entire project, which will include enough solar panels to power the entire site, including the electric vehicle charging stations, is expected to be complete by the end of next year, Babauta said.

There will be security cameras and LED lighting, a carpool area, covered passenger waiting areas, and rest room facilities. A new ticket sales office, vending kiosk and enhanced, drought resistent landscaping are also going in, project manager Marty Hanneman said.

SolTrans is a positive consequence of Vallejo's bankruptcy, he said.

"The bankruptcy, in a weird way, was a good thing in that it forced the creation of the Joint Transit Authority, which has improved public transit operations and service," Hanneman said.

The cities of Vallejo and Benicia and the Solano Transportation Authority formed SolTrans in 2010, and the following year, it assumed full responsibility for the area's transit operations.

The group's second stop Monday was to the upgrade and addition being made to the Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility. The circa 1987 site houses a fueling station, bus wash areas and maintenance bays. Half of the remodeled facility is being built to function as a Emergency Operations Center for the city.

The $6 million project, which is being funded mostly by federal monies, will provide a workplace for about 120 people, including dispatchers, bus operators and mechanics, officials said.

It's a long-needed upgrade to a vital facility, Babauta said.

"It's a big morale booster," she said.

Being an active facility, the work is being done in phases so as to disrupt operations as little as possible, Hanneman said.

"It's on schedule and on budget," he said.

Noting the importance of public transit to many Vallejo residents, Mayor Davis said Monday's tour was more proof that things are looking up in this city.

"It's encouraging," Davis said. "It shows the progress we're making in many areas of Vallejo."